Pam Allen
SYNOPSIS:
Another delightful and hilarious picture book for young children from the bestselling Pamela Allen. Fat Ferdie is a monster you won't forget!
“Fat Ferdie is a scary beast because of what he likes to eat. Read the book and you will see that his dinner climbs a tree!”
Scary but fun, a Pamela Allen book for you to share with the very young.
WRITING STYLE
Pamela's books are full of the music of language; they are 'fragments of theatre', designed to be read aloud and shared between an adult and a child. Eight of Pamela's titles were adapted for the stage by Patch Theatre Company, and performed in the Sydney Opera House.
This is the most light-hearted book we've seen from Pam in a while. It's colourful, playful, a little cheeky and very funny. The illustrations are truly hilarious. Fat Ferdie is an instantly likeable character who parents and children will fall in love with.
Pam's jaunty rhyme makes this a fantastic read-aloud, and the 'monster factor' gives this wide appeal across a range of reading ages. Children as young as three and as old as seven will be transfixed by Ferdie's adventures.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pamela Allen is a phenomenon in the world of children's literature. For almost thirty years her picture books have enchanted generations of children in Australia and overseas and many of her titles have won prestigious awards and commendations. She has earned classic status through the enduring popularity of her stories with the very young.
In 2004, Grandpa and Thomas won the Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award: Early Childhood and The Potato People was named an Honour Book in the same category in 2003, and Grandpa and Thomas and the Green Umbrella was shortlisted for the same award in 2007, as was Shhh! Little Mouse in 2008. Is Your Grandmother a Goanna? won a 2008 Speech Pathology of Australia Book of the Year Award, as did Our Daft Dog Danny in 2010.
EDITORIAL COMMENTS
This is my favourite Pam Allen book ever - a big call, but completely justified! The illustrations literally made me cry with laughter. A winner.
Pre-reading:
· Look carefully at the image on the front cover. What can you tell or predict about Fat Ferdie from this image?
· What sort of character do you think he is?
· Does he look happy, sad, scary, angry etc?
· How might he feel about being called Fat Ferdie?
· Look at the image of the pear tree on the inside page.
· Can you think of another book that has a similar illustration?
· Look carefully at the title page. Why might Fat Ferdie be running away?
· What might have happened to his jacket?
· How do you feel about Fat Ferdie on this page? (Are you scared of him? Do you feel sorry for him?)
· What is it about the picture that makes you feel this way?
Page 1
· How does this page make you feel about Fat Ferdie?
· Is this the same way that you felt about him before you began reading?
· Why might you feel less sympathetic towards him after reading this page?
· What aspects of the words or the illustration make Fat Ferdie appear to be particularly horrible?
Page 2-3
· How would all the animals feel about Fat Ferdie?
· Do you think he would have any friends?
· Why do you think he eats all of the animals?
· Is it wrong of Fat Ferdie to eat the animals?
· We eat animals. Do you think that is wrong?
· Consider the food chain. All animals need other animals in order to survive. Does that make Fat Ferdie better or worse?
· Choose an animal and consider its food chain. (eg a Hawk eats a snake; eats a frog; eats insects; eat plants; eat water etc)
Page 4-5
· Why are there no animals left?
· What is meant by the word extinct?
· Can you think of any animals that have become (or will soon become) extinct because we have eaten them all or killed them all for their skin etc?
· Consider the nomadic societies who are hunter gatherers. What do they do when they run out of food in one area?
· What do you think Fat Ferdie will do now that there are no animals left for him to eat?
Page 6-7
· Why did Ferdie head off in his boat?
· Where do you think he is going?
· Is this what you expected him to do?
· What do you think he is hoping to find?
· What will he do if he cannot find the same sort of food that he is used to?
· How do you feel about Ferdie at this stage in the story?
Page 8-9
· How do these pages make us feel sorry for Ferdie?
· How does the writer manage to convey the idea that Ferdie has to go a long way?
· What do you think he will find in the new land?
Page 10-11
· How are the illustration and the words on this page funny?
· How is Ferdie acting like a human?
· Do you hope that Ferdie finds some animals to eat?
· What will happen to Ferdie if he doesn’t find any animals?
Page 12-13
· The ‘animals’ that Ferdie finds are children. What do you think he will do?
· Do you feel differently about him eating children than you did about him eating animals?
Page 14-15
· How would the children feel when Ferdie starts to chase them?
· Do you think the children have ever faced this sort of threat before?
· What will Ferdie do when the children start to run?
· The children have no weapons on them or any defence behaviours as they are not used to being chased by predators. What do you think they should do in order to save themselves?
Page 16-17
· Do you want Ferdie to catch the children?
· What will happen to him if he doesn’t?
· Is it acceptable for an animal to eat a human if this will keep them alive?
· Is this any different from us eating animals?
· What do you think will happen?
Page 18-19
· Do you think climbing a tree was a good idea?
· What do you think Ferdie will do now?
Page 20-21
· How do you feel for Ferdie when the children start to throw the pears at him?
· How do you think he will react?
· Would they have been better just to sit there quietly and wait for him to go away?
Page 22-23
· What do you think he will do now that the children are out of the tree?
Page 24-25
· How would Ferdie feel now that the children have run away?
· What do you think he should do?
Page 26-27
· What does Ferdie think of the pears?
· How does this page make you feel?
· How would Ferdie’s life have been different if he had tried pears (or other fruit and vegetables) before now?
Page 28
· How might Ferdie change now that he only eats pears?
· How will the people treat him now that he is not a threat to them?
· Do you think Ferdie will be happier now?
· Do you think Ferdie has learned his lesson?
· Can you see a problem with him now eating only pears?
· What will happen when the pears all run out?
· Do you like Ferdie more now that he only eats pears and not animals?
WRITING STYLE:
Illustrations:
· How does the author/illustrator use humour in her illustrations?
· What is the impact of her careful and selective use of colour and size?
Writing Humour:
· What makes this book funny? Is it the words or the illustrations, or a combination of both?
· Select the part that you think is the funniest and explain why.
· Choose your favourite illustration and explain what you like about it.
Rhyme:
· How does the use of rhyme add to the story?
· Does it make it easier to read or predict the storyline?
FOR DISCUSSION:
· Would we feel differently if Fat Ferdie had a different name?
· How do nicknames influence how we feel about people?
· Do you think Fat Ferdie is bad or do you feel sorry for him?
· Do you think Fat Ferdie wanted to kill animals (and children)?
ACTIVITIES:
· Research an endangered animal.
· Create a poster that encourages people to have a balanced diet.
· Create a poster that encourages people to try new foods.
· Draw Fat Ferdie now that he eats only pears and give him a new nickname.
Marketing / Online
· Feature title on puffin.com.au
· Review Mailing